Kitchen-cabinet



R. HOFFMAN.

' KITCHEN CABINET.

APPLICATION FILED 0120.20, 1920.

Patented Aug. 16, 1921.

V IH- HIIH UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUDOLPH HOFFMAN, OF KANKAKEE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO SEARS, ROEBUCK AND (10., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

KITCHEN-CABINET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 16, 1921.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUDOLPH HOFFMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kankakee, in the county of Kankakee and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Kitchen-Cabi nets, of which the following is a specification.

The invention pertains to kitchen cabinets and has particular reference to an improved cabinet of sheet metal construction.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide an improved cabinet in which the construction is such as to render the cabinet commercially practicable from the manufacturers standpoint as well as from the viewpoint of the user.

An important object of the invention is to provide a cabinet construction enabling the lower compartment of the upper section of the cabinet to be readily cleaned and maintained in a sanitary condition without sacrificing rigidity in construction.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, Figure 1 is a fragmentary elevation section of the upper portion of a cabinet. Figs. 2 and 3 are fragmentary perspective views illustrating particularly the construction of the lower compartment of the upper cabinet section. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating particularly a detail in the construction of the inner lining for the said lower compartment of the cabinet. Figs. 5 and 6 are fragmentary sectional views showing details of construction and particularly the manner of securing the upper and forward edges of the lining in place. Figs. 7 and 8 are fragmentary perspective views of the bottom of the upper section and a lower corner of the inner lining, respectively.

The cabinet comprises generally a lower or base section 10 having mounted thereon, as by means of brackets 11, an upper or top section 12. The latter section is construct-- ed to provide a lower compartment'13 and an upper compartment 14, the former hav ing a front opening adapted to be closed by a collapsible shutter (not shown), and the latter being closed at its front side by one or more doors 15. At opposite edges of the front opening of the lower compartment are provided guideways 16 for the shutter. The brackets 11 serve to support the upper sec-' tion of the cabinet in spaced relation with reference to the base section, so as to permit of the insertion of the usual top or work board 17.

The upper section 12 is constructed to provide a bottom wall 18, a rear wall 19, side walls 20 and a top wall 21. Said bottom, side and rear walls are constructed from separate sheets of metal. The bottom wall 18 is especially designed to impart strength and rigidity to the structure. To this end it is out and shaped to provide a mam portion having downwardly extendmg flanges at each edge, including side and rear flanges 22 to which the lower ends of the side and rear walls are secured as by riveting. The side and rear walls are in turn secured together at the rear corners of the cabinet, and for this purpose the side walls are provided with inturned flanges 23 to which the rear wall is secured as by electric welding. Preferably the lower ends of the rear and side walls are provided with inturned flanges 19 and 20* respectively underlying the flanges 22 on the bottom Wall, thus further to lend rigidity to the structure. The top 21 may also be made separately from the side and rear walls. Thus it has downturned flanges 24 welded to the upper ends of the rear and side walls 19 and 20. At is forward edge, the top 21 has a downturned flange 25 shaped to provide a portion of the frame for the door or doors 15.

The compartments 13 and 14 are divided by means of a central horizontal partition or shelf 26 having downturned side and rear flanges 27 secured to the side and rear walls 19 and 20 as by means of rivets 28. Said shelf also has a downwardly extending flange 29 at with inturned flanges 30 on the side walls and the forward downwardly extending flange 31 of the bottom wall to form the frame for the door or doors 15 of the upper its forward edge cooperatingsection and the shutter of the lower section. As shown at 31 in Fig. 7, the opposite ends of the forward flange 31 are offset inwardly as permitted by notches 32 formed in the bottom 18 and the side flanges 22 thereof. This construction enables the forward surfaces of the side flanges 30 to lie flush with the forward surfaces of the flanges 31.

., Preferably, the flanges 22, 30 and 31 are construction comprises a bottom wall portion 34, a rear wall portion 35 and side wall portions 36. Preferably the side and rear wall portions are bent upwardly from the bottom wall portion, the sheet from which the inner wall structure is made being suitably shaped for this purpose. The side and rear walls thus merge into the bottom wall in a manner to form rounded corners as at 37 (Fig. 2), and the side and rear wall ortions are secured together by interfol mg adjacent edges, the 'blank being suitably shaped to provide overlapping edges when these wall portions are brought together. Thus, referring to Fig. 4, the rear wall portion 35 is shown as having a flange 38 interlocked in a flange 39 on the side wall portion folded upon itself and then bent into engagement with the rear wall portion carrying with it the flange 38. A tlght seam 1s thus provided between the side and rear walls which is capable of being effectively sealed as by means of a filler such as paint or the like. At its forward edge the bottom wall portion is provided with a flange 40 which is bent downwardly and around the flange 31 of the bottom wall 18, as shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 2. The upper edges of the side and rear wall portions 35 are secured in place by being inserted between the downwardly extending flanges 27 of the shelf 26 and the rear wall 19 and side walls 20 of the upper section. The forward edges of the side wall portions 36 are secured in position by being entered between the shutter guide strips 16 and the side walls 20, as shown clearly in Fig. 6. At the forward corners of the inner wall structure, the bottom portion 34 is notched as at 41 to receive the side wall flanges 30. The joints between the bottom wall portion 34 and the flanges 30 may also be sealed as by means of a suitable filler.

It will be seen that I have provided a construction for the cabinet which provides for other joints or seams necessary to the construction are of such character that they may be readily filled with a suitable filler.

While I have herein described the invention with considerable particularity it is to be understood that in the interpretation of the appended claims they should not be limited to the details of construction and arrangement set forth except as may be necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A kitchen cabinet having an upper section comprising side and rear walls formed of sheet metal and a bottom wall made from a separate sheet of metal and having flanges to which the lower ends of the side and rear walls are secured, and an inner wall structure formed from a single sheet of metal constructed to provide side, bottom and rear wall portions, the bottom wall portion being integrally connected at its side and rear edges with the rear and side wall portions, and said side and rear wall portions being arranged to overlap at their adjacent edges with the overlapping portions rigidly secured together in a tight joint.

2. A kitchen cabinet having an upper section providing a compartment formed by sheet metal side, rear, bottom and top walls, said bottom wall being formed from a separate sheet of metal having flanges to which the side and rear walls are secured, said walls having flanges providing a frame for a shutter, and guide strips for such shutter secured to the opposite side walls of the compartment, the forward edges of the side wall portions of the lining being secured between said guide strips and the side walls of the compartment.

3. A kitchen cabinet having an upper section constructed of sheet metal and comprising upper and lower compartments and having side, rear and bottom walls, and a shelf having downturned flanges secured to the side and rear walls and dividing the compartments, said bottom wall being made from a separate sheet of metal having flanges to which the side and rear walls are secured, and an inner lining for said lower compartment formed from a single sheet of metal constructed to provide integral side, bottom and rear wall portions with the rear and side wall'portions interfolded at their adjacent edges so as to be rigidly secured together in a tight joint, the upper edges of the side and rear wall portions being entered between said shelf and the side and rear Walls of the upper section, and the bottom wall of the upper section having a forward downturned flange around which the forward edge of said bottom wall portion is secured.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

RUDOLPH HOFFMAN. 

